Please CC My website?

SabrinaO · Oct 11, 2011

My website is FLASH so i'm just curious how it loads for everyone. And if you don't have flash, how does it look? Yes I also have music on my site :greenpbl: so please dont mute it because I would like to see if it loads fast for you all with the music playing. :sexywink:

I've changed the colors, layout and logos probably 10 times already and i'm finally satisfied in how it looks. THANK YOU

duh... the website would help lol

www.crazybeautifulportraits.com

shootermcgavin · Oct 11, 2011

For some reason I have to download a flash player for your site, I've never had to do that on another flash site. Also if I click the enter site it just reloads the page you kind of have to figure out that it wants you to click the big picture. I looked at it the other night on a different computer and it didn't work in flash for me either. Both computers are less than 6 months old so that means everyone will have to download the flash player, the html side is not great but it's easy to navigate which is #1.

shootermcgavin · Oct 11, 2011

Sorry I take that back I can see the flash version. It looks good, the music to me is a little annoying after awhile kind of sounds like one of my kids left the TV on with the Harry Potter DVD in it. I think the photo I like the best is of your son with the dog, that is a great picture.

SabrinaO · Oct 11, 2011

Thanks for responding! So you had to download flash to see it? hmmmm thats weird! I have a laptop too and it loads fine on that. I wonder what the problem was! Ill check out my settings. Also the "enter site" link doesn't work?? Thanks again for the critiques... lol@ Harry potter. It's funny because my husband said the music sounds "creepy". ;/ I like it though

CCericola · Oct 11, 2011

I don't mind the flash as long as you have an HTML alternative for people to choose. I tried it with the music. I really tried but I still don't like it. (the music that is) Look at it this way. Think of how many people browse the internet at work who are not supposed to be. They click on your site, get music and BAM they are in trouble. Now you have lost a customer for life because, no matter how great your pictures are, they will always attribute your business to the trouble they got into at work. Is this always the case? No but why piss more people off?

orljustin · Oct 11, 2011

Overall, not too bad. I don't like music, I don't like pop ups, and I don't like splash pages. You should hire a professional copywriter - all your text sounds like you're a MWC. "I moved here ... I'm taking classes ... my husband's goofy, etc....". Pictures seem nice though.

SabrinaO · Oct 11, 2011

CCericola said:
I don't mind the flash as long as you have an HTML alternative for people to choose. I tried it with the music. I really tried but I still don't like it. (the music that is) Look at it this way. Think of how many people browse the internet at work who are not supposed to be. They click on your site, get music and BAM they are in trouble. Now you have lost a customer for life because, no matter how great your pictures are, they will always attribute your business to the trouble they got into at work. Is this always the case? No but why piss more people off?

Thanks! Did my site take long to load at all? What trouble did you have? There is a pause or stop button for the jukebox though.. and id hope people would use that then close out. Maybe i should put a warning or a note on my splash page about the music so people wont get pissed?

CCericola · Oct 11, 2011

It loaded nice and fast on both my mac and 6 year old HP laptop using Verizon Fios 50/20. It did not prompt me to install the flash player

SabrinaO · Oct 11, 2011

Sweet! Thank you for your help! I just wish my host would offer html alternative

shootermcgavin · Oct 11, 2011

Sabrina I personally would not worry about the music, when I worked in an office I always made sure my sound was off for just that reason. People will be mad at their own stupidity but I highly doubt they'll blame your site for it. I'm not sure what you want your site for but something to think of is if you're looking for a site to gain new clients and traffic you will need HTML and to think of what title will be most effective for google searches. Right now your title isn't going to do much in the way of google searches. I prefer HTML and don't like being locked into the flash but I may be the odd man out on that.

vtf · Oct 11, 2011

In your newborn section the gallery stuck on image 5 and wouldn't allow me to visit any other image or section of your site. Otherwise I like your site and images. As far as music, not a fan or critic, I use headphones only when I watch videos so when I'm surfing I don't hear sounds.

mishele · Oct 11, 2011

"Most of the images from my sessions look pretty good right out of the camera, but"

This statement you made in the General or FAQ section is not flattering to your biz. "Most of" and "pretty good" are statements that I don't want to hear as a client. All I want is to know is that I'm going to have the best final product possible. I'm not paying for "pretty good".....

Music is always annoying to me, mostly because I usually have a couple different windows open at all times. I have to listen to the music even if I'm not looking at that site at the moment. And yes I have just killed pages because of music.

tirediron · Oct 11, 2011

C&C per req:

First of all, if you have your own domain, WHY are you using a Yahoo! e-mail address? Nothing screams 'professional' like a web-mail address! Way, way, wayyyyyyyyy too much small text on the main page. Pick one or two cities and just add 'surrounding area'. No point in enumerating every hamlet for a hundred miles.

Same with your "specialization". One or two things are a speciality, NOT 12. Consider simpler phrases such as "event and life-style photographer". Also, get your tenses correct; in the first paragraph, it's "I", in the second, "She".

'About me'. Sorry, I don't care how long you've been with your husband, or what your son looks like. Your 'About' page is about you. People want to see you. What is your background and experience. Have you won any awards? WHY should I hire you? What can you do better than the next photographer????

'FAQ': Don't TRY and keep something within a half-hour. Set a limit and abide by it. Leaving a line like that in is asking to get walked over. "I will travel anywhere the client requests, but charges will apply for any distance of more than 20 miles of my studio".

If that's all you can muster for experience, bin the whole paragraph. Try something like, "I have been shooting for XX years, and have training in both photographic arts and the latest software (Note, DON'T say where you got the training, high school screams "Facebook").

Do you require a deposit or down-payment. Deposits, by definition are refundable.

The what should I wear is excellent!

In the 'what happens after', avoid fixed deadlines. Instead, try 'galleries are usually published within a week'.

"Contact": Nice, shows confidence, sells you.

Overall, this is a nice 'site. You've got some great images (I fell asleep waiting for the galleries to load, so I'm not sure what's in there), but there is room for improvement. I would strongly suggest finding someone who is very good at English and grammar and having them review the 'site carefully. There are a lot of areas where the text could be improved.

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

JACC0811 · Oct 11, 2011

I would agree with tirediron. The site looks nice. I'm not a fan of music on a site anymore. Seems to be something that was great in the early days of the internet but has faded and is best left to videos. Other than that, and what was pointed out previously, everything else looks great.

Good job.